• We have an outhouse (which is conveniently called a toilet) that is going to be so cold come February. I am a little nervous to squat in the freezing cold. I have also heard rumors that there are these things we volunteers like to call “poop mountains” which are in the toilet hole. The feces in the toilet freezes because it is so cold outside and it begins to build upon itself. In the more shallow toilets the mountains begins to peak over the edge of the hole. Luckily (or not so luckily) my toilet is very shallow and I’m sure within a month of the ground freezing I will have a beautiful “poop mountain.” Don’t worry, there will be updates on this to come… but I will practice my tact and not post pictures. Even though I will be very temped to. For those of you who know me well know that I’m not lying about that!
• My family also has a banya (where the Kyrgyz people bathe and it is similar to a sauna), but since I’ve lived here I have only see it heated up three times. I go to the public one in town once a week. It’s really helped my self confidence. Next to our banya is our outdoor, summer kitchen. That is where my family makes our their jams, winter salads (salads full of veggies so they can get veggies in the winter) and can them. They also have their kazan out there. A kazan is a huge iron pot kind of like a wok that is heated below it. In these kazans they make lots of different foods. Mostly, they boil meat and make the traditional Beshbarmak which is boiled meat broth and noodles. Sometimes potatoes too. They also butcher sheep in there and dry their hide.
• Next to that is the garage where my host dad stores his 1983 Niva Lada. If you don’t know what that is look it up because it is an awesome old soviet car and I love this thing. It is mustard yellow and it looks like it is going to pass out at any moment. The really cool thing about the garage is that is has a middle section under where the car goes where he can climb down and work on the bottom part of the car like they do at some body shops in America.
• And then lastly attached to all of those things is a chicken coup. They are directly behind my window and I hear them all the time. Once the roosters woke me up at 4am. I was not happy about that. Usually I can sleep through it, but not that day.
• In front of all those things is where we grow potatoes raspberries and black currents. There is one cherry tree there too but this year’s summer was too cold and it only produced one apple. Our clothes line goes through all of that and after I wash my clothes by hand I hang them up there to dry. I have gotten used to hanging my personal items up out in the open for everyone to see because if not, they will not dry.
• That is everything that is on the left side of my house and on the right side is the stables for the animals to stay in during the winter. My family said that we have over 50 sheep and I’m not sure how many goats, cows, and horses. I think we probably have about 10 chickens. It sounds like we would have a large farm with lots of land, but the property that I live on is about the size of my parents property in Buckley which is only two city lots. We now have a covered area where some of the hay is stored and I think that some of the animals will live. I am lucky though because our whole front driveway area and area in front of the stables is all paved with cement. That is a luxury.
• We do not have indoor plumbing and that is very common living in a village. We do have a well in our yard and that isn’t very common. Many people have to go get their water from a communal pump. I am glad that I only have to walk outside and take a bucket and drop it down into the well to get water. Some of my friends who are volunteers here have to walk 10-15 minutes just to get water. Living in the cities it is much more common to have running water, but hot water is something everyone wants. There are maybe one or two volunteers in Naryn city (out of 10) that have a functioning regular hot shower. Many have to heat their water and bucket bathe.
• Inside my house we have an entrance that has a since that needs to be filled with water to work. It has a faucet and if you pour warm water in it, then it doesn’t freeze your hands.
• Then as you enter the rest of the house there are three doors. One goes to the kitchen. In our kitchen (this isn’t normal) we have an oven/stove that is half gas half electric. This is nice for when the power goes out. We also have a refrigerator/freezer which is bigger than the one I grew up with in America. There isn’t a sink. All dishes are washed in a large bowl with boiling hot water. The dining table is in here and this is where we have all our meals together.
• Across the hall is my room. It is very tiny, but that is good for the winter when I only have to heat a tiny room. I have a bed that is small than a twin, a desk with a chair, a wardrobe, and a coat rack. Not much, but perfect!
• The third door goes in to the family area which has a TV and couch. This is where many people in my family sleep. It matters on who is at my house at that time. Our door is a revolving one and people are moving in and out all the time. Any given day we can have anywhere from 3-10 people living here. There is one other bedroom in this house and it is connected to that room.
• The last room in our house is connected to the family area. This room is set up for guesting. There is a large table in there and when we have people over for a party this is where everyone eats. This has happened twice since I have been living here. It’s fun but at the same time very awkward because they all want to talk to you for about 5 minutes then they all have a conversation with each other.
That is everything that we have at our house and everything that my family needs to function on a daily basis. I have found that there is so much that I have in America that I don’t really need. It is nice to be here and enjoy the simple life. I know one day I will go back to America and back to my old ways just out of convenience, but I will never forget the rewards I have gotten from living a more simple life! There is something be said about the joys of having a neighbor just stop by to say hi and drink a cup of tea.
Next I will tell you about the amenities in my village.
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